Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 03/21/2010
Support Women Artists Sunday: Marina and the Diamonds
Marina Lambrini Diamandis (born 10 October 1985), better known by her stage name Marina and the Diamonds, is a Greek-Welsh singer-songwriter. She rose to fame after reaching number two on the BBC Sound of 2010 poll list, coming second to Ellie Goulding. After releasing one private extended play, Diamandis released her second extended play, The Crown Jewels EP, with help from Neon Gold Records in 2009. Now signed to 679 Recordings, she released her debut full-length studio album,The Family Jewels, in 2010. Diamandis will be releasing her third extended play, The American Jewels EP, on 23 March, 2010.
Her eponymous name “Marina and the Diamonds” consists of Diamandis’ first name and the translation of her surname which means “Diamonds” in Greek. “The Diamonds” refers to …
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Feminism | Posted by Jamie N on 03/19/2010
A Call to Arms
If women are going to continue to break down barriers and keep the fight of feminism alive, we have got to lay off the girl on girl crime. This is something that affects women of all ages. Several weeks ago in Salon Magazine I read an article by Martha P. Nochimson, an established former NYU professor and author, take down Katheryn Bigelow simply because she didn’t like her movie. Okay, The Hurt Locker wasn’t her cup of tea, but Ms. Nochimson took it to an extremely unacceptable and unprofessional place by not just criticizing Kathryn Bigelow’s work but Kathryn Bigelow herself. Sadly, the go-to put down of name calling was present, but for me, she also employed a much more damaging approach when she pitted two women (also successful filmmakers) …
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Awareness | Posted by Julie Z on 03/18/2010
Lesbian Teen Banned from Prom
I’m sure a lot of you have heard about this story by now but I had to blog about it. Apparently the school district of Itawamba County in Mississippi would not allow Constance McMillen, 18, to attend her prom wearing a tuxedo and with her girlfriend. Constance was told by her assistant principal that she may be able to get away with escorting her girlfriend if she were to bring a bunch of guys…you know to cancel out / hide their lesbianism, or something. The superintendent suggested that the girls attend the prom separately, wearing dresses, and avoid each other completely lest they “push people’s buttons.”
Now this would be repulsive enough if these were merely the suggestions of misguided authority figures. But the fact is, the district actually has …
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Feminism, Pop-Culture | Posted by Laura H on 03/17/2010
Ladette to Lady: How to be an Acceptable Human Being
A while ago I was off school ill and, in the grips of extreme and irreversible boredom, I started browsing through 4OD (for those who don’t know, that’s the website of the UK Channel 4 which allows you to watch recently aired programmes online). I came across the latest series of Ladette to Lady and started watch. To put it mildly: what the hell!
As the name suggests the main aim of Ladette to Lady, is to take a bunch of the “most wayward and shameless girls” they can find, who have previously been involved in such shocking activities as drinking and – brace yourselves, girls – having s-e-x! They then load these girls onto a minibus and ship them to Eggleston Hall, a finishing school for young women, …
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Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 03/16/2010
Kathryn Bigelow: The Woman Behind the Landmark
Kathryn Bigelow made history on March 7th when she became the first woman to win the award for Best Director. And to be honest, up until that point I knew very little about her. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one, since she hasn’t exactly been the most prevalent director of our time.
I haven’t seen the Hurt Locker because, frankly, it is my junior year of high school and when I emerge, blinking at the unexpected brightness of the sun after hours of light generated by my computer screen I usually take shelter at a friend’s house so that they might remember I still exist.
So, instead, I did what I do best and took to Google. Apparently, Kathryn Bigelow has directed Point Break – a bank robbery …
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Feminism | Posted by Amy CT on 03/15/2010
Why I’m Still a Girl Guide at 18
While researching for an essay on feminism among young people a while back I came across an article by Kira Cochrane, Women’s Editor of The Guardian (I want her job. Please.), talking about the attitudes of young members of the Guide Association towards feminism. Apparently, only 1/3 of Guides aged 14 to 26 (Senior Girl Scouts, I think, are the equivalent) would be willing to label themselves as “feminists”. This, though, didn’t seem to worry Cochrane. What seemed to concern her most was that girls might still want to be Guides at this age.
I was shocked to read that. I’ll be 18 next week, and therefore a legal adult, but I would not even consider leaving Guiding. When researching universities for September, one of the things I looked …
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Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 03/14/2010
Support Women Artists Sunday: Little Boots
Victoria Hesketh (born 4 May 1984), known professionally as Little Boots, is a British electronic musician. She sings, plays synthesizers, the Yamaha tenori-on and the stylophone. She was the former lead singer/synth player in Dead Disco.
Hesketh was born in Thornton-Cleveleys near Blackpool, Lancashire and now lives in London. She attended Rossall School, Blackpool Sixth Form College and then the University of Leeds, gaining a first-class honours degree in Cultural Studies, with a dissertation on “The concept of originality in the music of Jamie Cullum”.
At the age of 18, Hesketh participated in television talent show Pop Idol, being eliminated after three rounds. She went on to form a Jazz trio, toured Europe with a big band, and later formed the dance-pop band Dead Disco, gradually shifting away …
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Feminism | Posted by Paul S on 03/12/2010
Proclaiming Oneself as a Male Teenage Feminist
As far as I can remember, I’ve always considered myself a feminist. It was simple—anyone who strove for equal rights for women was a feminist.
But not many males, at least teenage males, would be quick to point themselves out as feminists. The word has a negative connotation in the young adult world. Besides being viewed as an outdated term, being a feminist brings along the baggage of people assuming that you wish to achieve equality by subjugating men with one hand and burning bras with the other. Dullards like Rush Limbaugh call empowered women “feminazis” and “ugly” and says that women like “male chauvinist pigs.”
There’s a few problems though. I’m a male feminist who doesn’t want to be subjugated, I don’t wear or burn bras, I really hate …
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